Tool for snap rings

ABSTRACT

A tool for applying and removing snap rings to and from shafts and bores, wherein the jaws are disposed at an angle with respect to their path of travel.

United States Patent Plouffe 1451 Mar. 21, 1972 [54] TOOL FOR SNAP RINGS 1,420,729 6/1922 Moran et a1 ..81/5.1 UX 1,740,591 12/1929 l-larter ..8l/5.1 [72] Invent Ohm 2,743,726 5/1956 Grieshaber ..8 1/421 x [73] Assignee: Millar Corporation, Chagrin Falls, Ohio [22] Filed, 17 1970 Primary ExaminerAndrew R. Juhasz Assistant Examiner-Leon Gilden p N05 12,033 Attorney-J. D. Douglas [52] U.S. Cl ..29/229, 29/268, 81/425 ABSTRACT 3 A tool for applying and removing snap rings to and from shafts l5 and bores, wherein the jaws are disposed at an angle with respect to their path of travel.

[56] References cued 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,271,847 9/1966 Millheiser ..29/229 PATENTEDHARZI I972 E Y Z M WW 0 i w AW; "m

TOOL FOR SNAP runes BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The use of snap rings applied over shafts and in bores to prevent axial movement of parts thereon is wellknown inthe art. While the specific structure of the tool used toapply snap rings may vary somewhat, basically these tools are comprised of a pair of levers pivotally interconnected intermediate their opposite ends having handle sections ononeside of the pivot connection and jaw sections on :the other side. The jaw sections are provided with some means for engaging the snap rings, and the jaws are disposed to pivot open or closed when the handles are squeezed together. Both :the handlesand the jaws are normally of a flat configuration and lie in common planes.

These tools are quite satisfactory for application of snap rings where the work is not required to be performed in close or-restricted spaces. However, there aresituations wherethere is very close quarters in which to work; i.e., there is some member which closely surrounds the shaft over which the snap rings are to be applied or removed, or a hollow member has an interior groove to receive a snap ring which acts as alretainer for a part such as a bearing. In such cases, the surrounding structure may provideobstacles which 'limitthe spaceavailable and may prevent the jaws of the tool from entering the space between the surrounding structure and the shaft when opened or closed within said space.

Making the jaw sections of a smaller dimension isoftennot a feasible answer, since this will necessarily reduce their strength whichmay notbc sufficient to perform the mechanical function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING I FIG. I is aplan view of one embodiment ofa snap ring-applying tool according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view takensubstantiallyalong the plane designated by the line 2-2 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially, along the plane designatedby the line 3-3 of FIG. *1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 of another jaw configuration of a snap ring applying tool;

FIG. '5 is a longitudinal sectional view of .a snap ring placed on a shaft in confined quarters; and

FIG. 6 is an end elevational view of the structure of FIG. diagrammatically representing the improved ability of thetool of the present invention to operate in confined spaced.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing, and for the present to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a toolfor applying snap rings is shown. The tool includes a=pairof identical levers l0pivotallyinterconnected intermediate theiropposite ends by apivot pin 12. Each of the levers 10 has a handle section 14 and a jaw section 16. The ends of the jaw sections 16 are rounded as shown at 18 so that the tool can engage-the loops on the snap ring. The levers 10 are not crossed so that when the handle sections 14 are squeezed togethenthe jaws will pivot open (as shown by the arrows in FIG. I) expandingthe engaged snap ring. The snap ring is then inserted overthe-shaft towhich it is to be applied, and the handles are released. When the snapring is in place, the tool can be removed. A similar tool envisions one where the levers are crossed over each other to enable snap ring to be compressed.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the jaw sections 16 are disposed at an angle with respect to their path of travel which is designated by the plane P. The angular disposition of the jaws l6 canbe compared to the coplanar disposition of the handle sections 14 as shown by the sectional view in FIG. 3.

The benefit of having the jaws disposed at an angle is shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 5 and 6. In FIG. 5 a shaft is shown and designated generally as S on which a snap ring R is to be placed. Surrounding the shaft S is a concentric surrounding member M, and between the shaft S and the surrounding member M is a clearance space C. In FIG. 6 a pair of angularly disposed jaws according to this invention are shown in section in solid lines, expanded to insert a ring R. As can be seen, due to their angular disposition, the jaws have sufficient space to move into and out-of the clearance space C without being obstructed'by surrounding member M.

FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of conventional prior art jaws .in dot-dash lines in their open position superimposed over the jaws of the present invention. Each of these jaws has the same size and shape as the jaws of the present invention shown in solid lines. However, these jaws are not angularly disposed with respect to the path of travel, but are coplanar therewith. vAs can be seen, this configuration of jaws, when expanded to insert the ring R, will be obstructed by the member M from entering into the clearance space C. Hence, these jaws will not be able to apply a ring to a shaft, nor will they be able to be inserted and expandedto remove a ring.

Thus, by providing jaws which are angularly disposed with respect to the path of travel, a tool can be .provided which can operate in a much more confined space than prior art tools without sacrificingstrength of the jaw members.

The exact degree of the angle of the jaws with respect to the path of travel will vary depending upon the size of ring which the tool is designed to apply. It will be appreciated that each size of tool can adequately operate only on a limited size of snap rings and shafts to which they are to be applied. In designing the jawangle, itis preferable that the angle be such that the mid pointof eachof the jaws 16 be designed to be tangential with a shaft approximately at the middle of the range of sizes of shaftson which .the'tool is designed to operate. Thus, for smaller tools, the angle of the jaw with respect to the path .of travel will-be greater'than on larger tools designed for use on larger size shafts.

:Referring now to FIG. 4, a modified configuration of the jaw sections ofthe tool is shown and designated at 16. In this con- :figuration, the jaw sections are arcuate in configuration rather than fiat or planar, as inthe case of the jaws of FIGS. 1 and 2. This arcuate configuration allows for operation of the tool in even morerestricted space than in the case of a flat or planar configuration. However, the range of sizes of shafts on which it can effectively-be utilized is somewhat less than the range of sizes on which the tool of FIG. 1 can be used. This is because the arcuate configuration is'less universal and more compatible with a specific size of a shaft. Also, this configuration is more expensive to manufacture.

While the invention has been described with a great deal of particularity, is believed that'the tool of this invention essentially comprisesa pair of levers pivotally interconnected intermediate their,opposite ends, the levers each having jaw portions on'one side ofthe pivotal connection, which jaw portions are disposed at an angle withrespect to the path of travel of the jaw.

'I claim:

:1. A tool'for applying and removing snap rings to and from shafts where the shafts are encircled by a member to provide a restricted space comprising, .a pair of levers connected between their opposite ends for pivotal movement, each of saidlevers havinga handle section on one side of said pivotal connection and an elongated jaw section on the opposite side, said jaw sections being transversely inclined to the path of travel.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said angularly disposed portions of said jaw sections are flat in cross section.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said angulariy disposed portions of said jaw sections are arcuate in cross section. 

1. A tool for applying and removing snap rings to and from shafts where the shafts are encircled by a member to provide a restricted space comprising, a pair of levers connected between their opposite ends for pivotal movement, each of said levers having a handle section on one side of said pivotal connection and an elongated jaw section on the opposite side, said jaw sections being transversely inclined to the path of travel.
 2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said angularly disposed portions of said jaw sections are flat in cross section.
 3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said angularly disposed portions of said jaw sections are arcuate in cross section. 